Lamar Soutter was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1909. His father, Dr. Robert Soutter (pictured at
left), was a distinguished
orthopedic surgeon who had a busy medical practice in Boston. During World War I he trained Army
doctors in surgical field techniques. Lamar's
mother, Helen Elizabeth Whiteside, was descended from the Shattuck family of Massachusetts whose
members included several prominent physicians. Lamar was the
third of five children, three boys and two girls. His given name came from his father's youngest
brother, Lamar, who died of tuberculosis at age 21 while a student at Harvard College. "Lamar" was a
family name from his grandmother's
side.